Thursday, June 9, 2016

The deserted hotels of Sharm el Seikh, Egypt

One of the results of the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 and the years of instability that followed, was the collapse of the country's tourism industry. At the southern coast of Sinai peninsula, the 200 km (120 miles) coast was the country's tourism epicenter. Today, where new hotels were constantly being built, the scene is much different. Construction has halted while dozens of hotels remain empty.

Although Sinai was never a stranger to terrorism, ISIS has caused new problems. By the beginning of 2016, a flight ban, imposed after the crash of a Russian airliner, has caused visits in Sharm el Seikh to decline further by 85% and an estimated $170 million loss per month.

Along the coast of Sinai, hotels that are still open have closed down wings or restaurants and operate with limited staff. Their owners are waiting for better days in the future.